Staffing is not an HR issue, it's everyone's issue.

A hiring manager says, "Recruitment is my responsibility. I'm the one who will be managing the employee, so I need to be intimately involved in the process. I need to have the final hiring authority since I'm ultimately going to be responsible for this new employee's performance and for the performance of my team.  Hiring is definitely my thing."

An HR professional says, "Recruitment is really my responsibility since it's a people issue. I have the accountability for ensuring legally defensible employment decisions, and frankly, I'm the one who really knows the most about how to design the selection process, including how to ask great questions. Hiring is my issue."

An employee says, "Recruitment should be up to me. I have to work with the new employee, and I should have the final say about who gets it. Building a great team of people who work well together is my issue."

So who's right?

They're all right. Staffing isn't the job of any one person, department, or group of people. Recruiting, selecting, and retaining employees is the job of every single person in your organization. They all have a stake in the outcome, so they should all have a say in the process.

The role of employees

In the Gallup poll on employee satisfaction-also called the Q12 because of the twelve determinants of employee satisfaction-having competent coworkers and coworkers who can be good friends are two of the issues identified by employees as being critical to their satisfaction. To get not only the most competent coworkers but also those who can be good friends and colleagues, employees have responsibility for thinking about who they might recommend to the organization for employment. Employees might consider former coworkers, friends, family members, neighbors, classmates, and others who might offer good work ethic, skills, and knowledge to the organization. Employees also have a responsibility to avoid hazing and other negative activities that tend to chase away new employees and to mentor new employees coming in to the organization.

The role of hiring managers

Hiring managers have a tremendous responsibility to the employment role since the people they hire are ultimately responsible for the team's performance. Managers are responsible to constantly recruit potential employees. When attending professional events, when running errands, or when meeting new friends, good managers should be assessing the talents of people they meet and determining if these individuals might be good candidates for the organization. Managers also need to evaluate what is really important for job success and then review job duties and update job descriptions regularly. It's hard to effectively recruit when you don't know what you're looking for.

For hiring managers who work with an HR professional, ask for clarity of roles.  Determine what activities will be conducted by you and which by HR. Also, state your preferences for working with HR. Perhaps you might best be served by doing some of the initial sourcing yourself, but have HR help with coordinating the logistical issues, such as scheduling interviews, and walking candidates through the process. 

If you are a hiring manager without an HR department, your role is more substantive. You'll be responsible for the entire process-from updating job specifications, developing recruitment sources and partners, placing recruitment advertisements, scheduling candidates, conducting interviews and coordinating interviews with others, evaluating candidates, extending offers, to providing for orientation and initial training.

The role of human resources professionals

If you're lucky enough to have an HR department in your company, remember it is there to help you staff your department with people who will achieve your organization's goals. The HR manager should be asking you thorough and probing questions about your qualifying needs for the new hire, as well as keeping an eye on the entire organization's mix of job requirements and talent that is on board. (It's entirely possible, for instance, that after hearing what you need, the HR manager will recommend someone who is already on staff.)

Everyone wants to do a good job in the service of hiring a great new employee for the vacant position. As the hiring manager, it's up to you to be sure to clarify the responsibilities and duties of each person involved in the selection process. Decide in advance who will handle what details. Meet regularly to provide updates and status reports.

Hiring a great new employee requires teamwork. Be sure your team members work well together and know the rules of the game.

News About:  The Truth About Hiring The Best

Rights to The Truth About Hiring The Best have just been sold in Thailand and India, and CEO-READ has announced that The Truth About Hiring The Best is among the top four HR books for 2007!

Unemployment rates are at record lows, making it even more challenging to find the best employees.  Hiring managers want new, creative ways to recruit and select top employees.  Savvy managers also know they're not just hiring for one open position-they're creating the future for their department and their organization.

The Truth About Hiring The Best, written by Employment Strategist Cathy Fyock, is the first easy-to-digest, practical book that dispels the myths about how to identify, recruit, and then select the best people.   Cathy draws upon her experience as a recruiter, hiring manager, and employment consultant in providing "break-through aha's" to help you find the best people for your organization.

Anyone who needs to make a hiring decision can benefit from this book-from department managers, to business owners, to HR professionals.  Whether you need to hire one person every five years or 500 people now, this book will help you meet your goals.

Available now through Amazon.com

"Wow! This is the perfect book for the time-challenged business manager that is looking for quick, simple ways to instantly improve the way he or she finds, hires, and keeps all-star employees.  Cathy has taken some of the most basic sales and marketing principles and has applied them to the recruiting, obtaining, and retaining functions of HR.  Therein lies the success and brilliance of her strategies.  It's creative. It's simple.  It's user-friendly.  I love books that I can read one day and implement the ideas the next.  This is definitely one of them.  A "must read" for anyone charged with recruiting, hiring and retaining top talent". 

Peter B. Burke

President, Best Companies Group

Selected Engagements from Cathy's Calendar

t      January 8, "So You Think You Want To Be A Consultant?" Employment Guide Career Fair Workshops, Louisville, KY

t      January 18, "Consulting Skills:  The Art of the Good Question," SCORE, Louisville, KY

t      January 31, "No Excuses HR Book Club Meeting," (no previous reading required!), Louisville, KY

t      February 12, "The Truth About Hiring The Best," keynote and workshop, Louisville SHRM Chapter, Louisville, KY

About Cathy Fyock

Are you looking for a high-content speaker for your next conference or meeting?  Call or email Cathy to find out how she can work with you to meet your specific goals and objectives.

Cathy Fyock, CSP, SPHR, is an employment strategist-helping organizations develop strategies to recruit and retain top talent in an aging and changing marketplace.  For nearly 20 years she has combined her knowledge of work-force issues and her talents as a speaker to provide innovative and inspirational learning events. She has helped organizations attract top talent, reduce turnover, and improve productivity in a volatile labor market.

Comments from a Recent Presentation

t      "Very pertinent information."

t      "She has great energy."

t      "Enjoyed Cathy's session-makes me glad I'm an HR Professional!"

t      "Fantastic!"

t      "Very applicable, good examples."

t      "Loved the stories.  Great learning tool."

t      "Cathy is a great speaker."

t      "It was good to laugh."

Permission to Reproduce This Newsletter

Permission is hereby granted to reprint articles from this report by Cathy Fyock, at no charge, with the agreement that the biographical information be included following each article used. One copy of the publication in which the article is published must be forwarded to Innovative Management Concepts. A fee of $300 per article will be expected for articles published without the biographical and contact information. Please contact us for assistance in editing this article to meet your publication guidelines.